All works of literature have some type connection with other works of literature. Stories that follow the same genre or the hero cycle are such examples. The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Genesis flood story have many points in common, because the stories connect in various different ways, they still have many differences. The flood in the Genesis story is part of the first chapter of the Bible, and it was a cataclysmic event (Brinkman 763). This is just as it is in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The flood was meant to wipe out humanity. In Genesis, God was heartbroken by the wickedness and violence of humanity (Brinkman 763). In the epic a flood strikes the city of Shuruppak, but it destroyed the world (Cavendish 992). Just as in the Biblical story the gods were angry at civilization …show more content…
In Genesis that character is Noah, and in the epic that person is Utnapishtim . In Genesis God tells Noah of the coming flood, which is called the “waters of Noah”, and He tells him to build an ark. The epic is different because instead of the gods being saddened by humanity they were just annoyed by them (Epics for Students). The god who made the decision to destroy humanity was Enlil (Brinkman). “Enlil calls for the gods to exterminate mankind” (Epics for Students 137). Just as God told Noah of the coming flood, the god Ea warned Utnapishtim as well (Near Eastern Myths of a Deluge 594). In Near Eastern Myths of a Deluge, it says “the god Enlil became angry that their plan had been thwarted”. The boats, or arks, that they use were different in shape, but still got them through the flood. The ark of Genesis was in the shape of a normal boat, yet much bigger. The ark of the epic was in the shape of a cube. The gods from both stories tell the main protagonist that they can bring their family onto the ark, including all animals male and female. Noah and Utnapishtim both survive the